Thrissur (formerly Trichur) is a district of Kerala situated in the central part of that state in South India. Spanning an area of about , Thrissur district is home to over 9% of Kerala's population.
Thrissur district is bordered by the districts of Palakkad and Malappuram to the north, and the districts of Ernakulam and Idukki to the south and Coimbatore to the east. The Arabian Sea lies to the west and Western Ghats stretches towards the east. It is part of the historical Malabar Coast, which has been trading internationally since ancient times. The main language spoken is Malayalam.
Thrissur district was formed on 1 July 1949, with the headquarters at Thrissur City. Thrissur is known as the cultural capital of Kerala, and the land of Poorams. The district is known for its ancient temples, churches, and mosques. Thrissur Pooram is the most colourful temple festival in Kerala. The town of Kunnamkulam is a particular centre of the Christian population. Per the 2011 Indian Census, Hinduism is the majority religion in Trissur, at 58.4%; Christians and Muslim form significant minorities.
Etymology
The word Kunnamkulam can be derived from the words kunnu (mountain) and kulam (ponds). There are several small hills in this area (Aduputty, Cherukunnu, Kizhoor, Kakkad Mission Kunnu, etc.) interspersed with the numerous ponds of the area (Eeenjakulam, Ayyankulam, Madurakulam, Chattukulam, etc.). One of the major spots within the town is the Parayil Angadi (market among rocks). The terrain condition and geological aspect of the area has led to the name. Kunnamkulam town has its own remote antiquity as is evident from the history. It was a part of Mahodayapattanam, the capital of Chera Dynasty.
History tells about the cross installed by Thomas the Apostle, at Chattukulangara (a part of Arthat in Kunnamkulam). During the invasion of Tippu Sultan the Christians from Chattakulangara migrated to Kunnamkulam town.
Manakulam, Cheralayam and Kakkaad (the suburbs of Kunnamkulam) were the seats of the Nambidis of Manakulam, Ayinikur and Kakkad Karanavappad respectively. They were collectively known as Thalappilli Rajas and belonged to three branches of the same dynasty.
The history of Kunnamkulam goes back to the Paleolithic age. The Kakkaad cave and Chowannur cave support this fact. It is said that this place was part of ‘MahodayaPattanam’ and was known as ‘Kunnamkulangare’. C. Achutha Menon in the Cochin State Manual says that, “it is in fact the chief center of the Orthodox Christians of the State, and there are several of their old churches in the town and its neighborhood”.
Moreover, “Most of the oldest and wealthiest Christian families are to be found in Kunnamkulam”. Cheruvathoor, Pulikkottil, Chungath, Kollannoor, Panakkal, Mekkattukulam, Paramel, Thengungal, Cheeran, Kanjirathingal, Moolapath, Tholath, Kakkassery and Emmatty are the most prominent among them. The competition for ascendancy between these wealthy families, opened up new dimensions in the development of printing and other literary activities. Panakkal Chakku, Cheru, Thengungal Ittoop, Varu and Koothur Paramel Iyyu Uttoop were arbitrators of some of these families. It is said that the Christian families were settled earlier at Chattukulangare shifted to Kunnamkulam after the invasion of Tippu in 1789. They were invited by the Thalappilli Rajas, provided residences and places of worship. They resided on both sides of the street. This may have helped to avoid threat from Tippu against Thalappilli Rajas.
Those settled on both sides of the street started trade and business, and began a new era of transaction.
Etymology
A cyber campaign was started that resulted in the changing of the often-misspelt name കുന്ദംകുളം (kundamkulam), to കുന്നംകുളം (kunnamkulam).
Apparently the wrong spelling " കുന്ദംകുളം(kundamkulam) " was being used for the city name on the Buses, Sign boards, Publications etc. This issue was brought into the social medias, where people unanimously opined to correct the spelling to കുന്നംകുളം kunnamkulam. This online debate further developed into a great discussion amongst the public and in all the other medias. The issue finally came in front of the Municipal Council meeting which laid down the rule to not use the wrong spelling കുന്ദംകുളം for കുന്നംകുളം anywhere.